Jake Locker to start vs 49ers

Three weeks after he was carted out of LP Field and hospitalized, Titans quarterback Jake Locker will start against the 49ers on Sunday, according to sources familiar with the situation.

Locker, who sprained his right knee and hip on Sept. 29 against the Jets, practiced all week and his performance convinced the coaching and medical staffs he’s ready to play again. At the time of the injury he was projected to be out 4-6 weeks.

The Titans held a walk-through practice on Saturday that was closed to the media.

“I wouldn’t think last week at this time we’d be talking about this,” coach Mike Munchak said. “I’ve learned how he is. He kept saying, ‘I’m going to be in the conversation for San Francisco,’ and we thought, ‘Yeah, it would be great if you were.’ ”

The Titans started 3-1 behind Locker, who passed for 721 yards, six touchdowns and no interceptions. They then went 0-2 behind Ryan Fitzpatrick, who has 526 yards, two touchdowns and four interceptions.

Fitzpatrick’s struggles helped accelerate interest in getting Locker back on the field even though the Titans have a bye next week. Locker, however, made it clear he wanted to play now.

“I want to be accountable to these guys and want them to know that I care about them and being a part of this team means something to me,” he said this week. “Doing everything I could day in and day out to get myself back out there was important for me.”